Hang – Halo

While these Handpan instruments are not ones we make or develop for sale, they provide a magical and musical introduction to our sound immersion experiences we offer for individuals and groups.

HANG

The Hang was developed by the instrument builders of PanArt, Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer. It was the result of many years of research on the steelpan and the study of the diverse collection of instruments from around the world: Gongs, Gamelan, Ghatam, Bells, and the Singing Saw.

In November 1999, the Swiss musician Reto Weber visited Panart in Bern, Switzerland, showed his art of playing Ghatam and dreamed of a sounding pot in steel with some notes to play with the hands. The Hang was the result. There have been a series of changes to the Hang over the years called “generations”. The most recent is the Free Integral Hang, a radical departure in that the instruments are not tuned to a specific foundational pitch and the notes are tuned by ear, rather than using a tuner. HANG means “hand” in the Swiss German Bernese language and so this new instrument of the millennium is designed to be played with the hands, not with mallets. Since its premiere at the Frankfurter Musikmesse 2001 it has won the hearts of countless musicians and audiences all over the world. It is extremely well suited for sound therapy applications due to its timbre and sound spirit.

From the makers:
Nestled on our lap is a Hang. The vessel sounds without requiring a playing technique. Like a seismograph it answers the softest touch, it amplifies the most subtle gesture of the hand and fingers, it touches the innermost of humans. A mirror. More than a mirror. An instrument to get into the mood of a free flow. A tuning instrument. Harmonization through absorbing that which flows from the hands. Time independence.

Click here for more detailed and well organized information about the Hang from player/composer Matt Venuti.

HALO

We are also big fans of the Pantheon Steel HALO. They come in lower resonances than the Hang and are available in many tunings. The new instruments all have an inverted dome at the top, meaning it is concave, like the other notes on the instrument. This is a Golden Gate. For more information click here.